Landscapes In Miniature  By Tom W.C. Lee with R.E. Sant

A cliff, high, craggy and wind eroded…a quiet mountain stream through a living forest…a rugged coastline along the New England shore.  Images of places real and imagined, inspiration to the ancient art of miniature landscapes.  Continuing this years excellent program covering a diverse range of bonsai related topics, Tom Lee, President of the China Trade Bonsai Society, took his turn at the podium and introduced some of us to our first real taste of Saikei and Penjing.

Tom started the evening explaining the basics between Japanese Saikei (pronounced sigh-kay) and Chinese Penjing.  Literal translation for both is Sai – Tree and Kei – Landscape or Pen – Pot and Jing – Landscape.  In short, miniature landscapes in pots or trays.  The most pronounced difference between the two is Saikei tends to be more austere while Penjing often focuses on land and water (i.e. valley, mountain, river, stream, lake, ocean etc)

Perhaps the most famous Saikei is John Naka’s “Goshin” at the National Arboretum in Washington D.C.  If you are unable to go personally, you can take a virtual tour at http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/bonsai.html.  

Saikei/Penjing is generally classified into four types; Group Forest, Raft, Clump, and “Claft” which is a hybrid style of Clump and Raft, created by Hal Mahoney of Long Island, New York.  Tom’s award winning Cotoneaster is styled in the Claft format.

Two important things to consider when doing a group planting…time and material.   Scrimp on either and the result will be less than satisfying.   

Tom says it takes a minimum of 1-3 years of planning and collecting material before beginning the actual construction.  Determine whether you want to do a single, double or triple grouping.  And choose quality material.  Group plantings aren’t that place to discard those “extra” trees just lying around.  

When designing a Saikei, use the following principles; Consistency, Balance, Scale, Harmony, and Interest. 

Consistency – Use primarily the same species of tree and similar types of rock.  The idea is to simulate nature.  You normally wouldn’t see a lava mountain in the middle of granite seashore.  

Balance – Create asymmetrical triangles on both the vertical and horizontal planes.  Even though triangles are the basis for configuration, avoid limiting yourself to multiples of three (e.g. 6, 9, 12 etc…) as this can become boring.

Scale – Use trees with height/trunk width in scale with each other.  Avoid using trees that are the same height, and offset the trees so that all trunks are visible from the front.  Use the higher branches on the individual tree, usually at least 1/2, but at least a minimum of 1/3.

The general perspective is from a distance.  To create an illusion of depth, place the larger trees toward the front, and most of the smaller trees to the rear.  Leave a few of the smaller trees up front for the close-up view. The main tree should be vertical and at the highest point of the landscape contour, with the edge trees tilted slightly outward to aid in light.

Harmony – Whether calling it Feng Sui, Ying-Yang, or Wabi-Sabi, the intent is the same.  The landscape should be inviting, giving the impression that it embraces the viewer.  The eyes should want to enter and wander within the composition, not just contact the first tree then wander elsewhere. 

Interest – The final and perhaps most elusive design principle.  Let the landscape tell the story.  Create a composition that draws the viewer both to it and into it.  Creating a break in the landscape such as a path or a stream can do this.  The viewer notes the small details, the variations in ground cover, and the subtleties of the textures.   When the viewer can almost hear the birds sing in the forest, then interest has been captured.

Two examples of Saikei: Alberta Spruce (Shot at 2003 Tower Hill Exhibition), and Hinoki Cypress (Shot at Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection 2002)